Meeting of the Minds Report

First off, I would like to say how much of a privilege it was to attend Meeting of the Minds and a special thank you to ABATE of Iowa for hosting. There was a lot to take away from this conference. In Wisconsin we’re doing pretty damn good as an organization, however we still have many fights ahead of us to preserve the right to ride. Thank you to all or those who have helped make this state rider friendly. Another thing we learned about was the aging demographic of riders and as an organization we have to as a whole, come up with ways to make this cool for younger riders to continue the fight to be able to ride. Even though we may not like to evolve, we have to evolve in order to continue the lifestyle – just keeping the bridge open to younger riders. There are a lot of bills from preserving our ability to buy fuel, to not being profiled, that as a whole we have to educate our Congressmen and women to get passed. That is a fight we all have to come together as one to make happen.

The networking in between and after seminars was amazing especially when you find out other states are dealing with the same issues we are. I am definitely glad that before my time ABATE of Wisconsin got the helmet laws repealed because the states that are fighting it now are having a hard time with social media and the culture of today. So, thank you to all the members that stood up years ago.

In closing on Saturday afternoon, we had Charlie Gilmore speaking on the price of freedom. If any members get the privilege to hear him speak, it is sobering and highly recommended. If you are on the fence about why we do what we do, this presentation will remind you. We are one big family.

Again, I am grateful for the opportunity to attend 2022 Meeting of the Minds and look forward to many more.

Ride safe,

Jay Goecks